This invention relates to retractable awnings and, particularly, to a motor-driven awning having a support system including extensible strut extending between top and bottom mounting arms at connection locations spaced from a wall to which the awning is mounted.
Retractable awnings are used to create a shaded space. While the invention is described in relation to an awning having particular utility in relation to a recreational vehicle, it can also be used in connection with a stationary awning on a structure, such as awning extensible over a patio.
In such awnings, a flexible, typically fabric canopy is secured at one end to a wall and has an opposite end secured to a roller. The roller is supported at its ends by opposite support arms which are displaceable between an extended position for the awning, where the awning is deployed, and a retracted position, where the awning is rolled onto the roller for storage.
Awnings are usually extended in a fairly horizontal manner so as to provide maximum shading beneath the awning canopy when it is extended. A biasing means, such as a fluid strut, maintains that orientation.